<p>i have admission for college covered but I'm still going to need help for books and supplies... The websites like fastweb and college board are nice but there are thosands of pepople applying for each one so winning isn't very likely. I'm going to apply for the FAFSA and I'm hoping I can use that money for books. I live in Twxas and I'm going to college in New York. How can I find scholarships or grants for out of state?</p>
<p>At a bare minimum, FAFSA will get you the Stafford loan. That’s $5,500 for your Freshman year (2009 numbers). Has anyone seen if this is going up next year?</p>
<p>First, you don’t “apply for” FAFSA and FAFSA doesn’t award any funds. It’s only an information gathering tool that determines your eligibility for federal grants and loans. Some schools will use it to determine your eligibility for campus based aid as well.</p>
<p>Apply for local scholarships and those instate scholarships that don’t stipulate use at an instate college. Your guidance office should have a wealth of information on those. My D won several thousands in local scholarships last year and paid for her books, computer, and meal plan for this year with them. It was well worth the relatively small effort compared to applying to national scholarships.</p>
<p>tina</p>
<p>How do you have your tuition and housing covered? </p>
<p>Do you know what your family’s EFC will be?</p>
<p>What is the COA at the school that you’ll be going to?</p>
<p>Completing FAFSA might get you some work study money; you’d have to earn it, but likely would be enough to cover books.</p>
<p>FAFSA might also trigger state and university grants. Where I work, students, if they have a very low EFC and commute, often get enough fA to cover books. (The on-campus residents don’t; they tend to cover room/board/etc with scarily big loans.)</p>
<p>Brainstorm now on other ways to cover book costs or lower prices. There are more and more online stores which “rent” books, which can be half the price of buying. there are also discount sites which sell books for less than what the college bookstore does. If you have a summer job, try to put away some money, if possible, for books. On campus, look for notices from other students who are selling books. Cutting down the bookstore middleman is a win/win for buyer and seller.</p>
<p>Getting your books for college requires perseverance and creativity. But it’s vitally important. I just counseled a student yesterday who tried to get through a semester without books, ended up with a GPA so low she can no longer be in the education program. Cut any other corners possible in order to get them.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you.</p>
<p>I think we need more info. We don’t know the source of her tuition, room and board money. If her parents are paying for that, then she should do a FAFSA and take out a Stafford (is that the right name?) loan to pay for books and supplies (which should easily be less than $5500 per year - she’d probably only need about $2k per year.)</p>
<p>I don’t see why any of that info is necessary, mom2collegekids – OP states that she has tuition covered. Filing FAFSA will make her eligible for the Staffords which will be more than enough to cover books. She probably won’t even need the unsub.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>that’s my thought. Is there only one type of Stafford? Or is there two? Is one sub and the other unsub? What’s the deal? :)</p>
<p>Filing FAFSA qualifies you for both. Obviously you want to take the sub first, which I’m sure would be enough for our OP’s books. The total for freshmen is $5500, and I think the breakdown is $3500 subsidized, $2000 unsubsidized. You only have to borrow the amount you need, not the whole enchilada.</p>
<p>so, you can have the sub (say $3500) no matter what the family EFC or income is? Oh…I thought maybe you only got the sub if your income or EFC was lowish. I didnt’ realize that any student could get a sub loan. That’s why I was asking if her parents were paying for her tuition/housing.</p>
<p>With a sub loan, is the interest during the college years paid by the gov’t? And, with an unsub, the interest just accumulates? Or am I confused?</p>
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<p>No, you’re not confused, that’s it. In our case, we’ll be paying the accrued interest on D’s unsub loan while she’s in school, so that it doesn’t capitalize. </p>
<p>Regarding your first question, my bad! (I wasn’t paying attention; this is what happens when you try to post on CC at work). You’re right. Any full-time student can get the unsubsidized loan, regardless of financial need. Whereas eligibility and amount of the subsidized loan is based on need, as determined by the Dept of Education and the school. But FAFSA must be filed for both.</p>
<p>BTW, I don’t know that income needs to be low-ish to qualify for the full sub loan though. We are not wealthy, but we have a pretty decent income, and D qualified for it.</p>
<p>Work study won’t help for first semester books since you don’t have the money until you work and earn it.</p>
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<p>No you can’t get a sub no matter what the EFC is. The maximum Stafford for a freshman is $5500 of which up to $3500 may be subsidized if there is need. If there is no ‘need’ then the entire $5500 would be unsubsidized.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>ahhh… thanks swimcat. That’s what I was wondering. So, if you don’t have "need, you’ll only get the unsub stafford. Is that right? </p>
<pre><code>For instance…is this right …if COA is $30k and EFC is $30k, then there is “no need” and so “no sub loan” can be obtained? At such a point, only a unsub loan?
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<p>Good point, but if the OP works in the summer to cover the 1st semester’s books, then during the fall semester, she might be able tondo work-study to save for 2nd semester’s books. However, I’m wondering if her EFC would get her any w/s.</p>